Customer Reviews

Skunkdog

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Dumpling was a dog of enormous enthusiasm, excellent obedience skills -- and very little nose."

As a result, "She didn't care about flowers, or garbage, or any of the other smelly items most dogs enjoy."

Nevertheless her family loved her, and spent as much time as possible with her, in an effort to make up for the lack of canine companionship. Dumpling's inability to smell makes it impossible for her to make canine friends; "the way other dogs went sniffing around one another (you know the way they do) meant nothing at all to her."

Pierre Pratt's drawings of Dumpling capture a loving, lonely little dog, almost heartbreaking at times.

The family moves to the country where Dumpling makes friends of a sort with a skunk. Making friends with that trigger happy skunk makes Dumpling happy, but creates a bit of challenge for her human family.

Their solution: "They bought a lot of tomato juice, and kept the cans in a cupboard beneath the bathroom sink." Text and drawings, this is a charming volume for kids and for adults who love dogs.

It also contains excellent advice for anyone with a dog who can come into contact with skunks. Tomato juice* has worked for us on two occasions, and this charming little book delivers the message for young and old alike. Emily Jenkins also maintains a very interesting Profile here on Amazon, covering her own work and other books she recommends for children.

Robert C. Ross 2008

* V-8 Juice works just as well for de-odorizing dogs and for another reason mentioned in the first Comment, we always have a good supply on hand. B.

This book is a fun read. Our dog has been skunked three times this year so the whole family enjoys it. Maybe our dog can't smell either.

Emily Jenkins, <strong>Skunkdog</strong> (Frances Foster Books, 2008)

Cute story about a dog with no sense of smell who moves to the country and befriends a skunk (and the travails of his family, who finally learn to stock up on tomato juice). It's not the be-all and end-all of Jenkinsiana (I'm not sure she will ever come up with another book as downright darling as <em>Sugar Would Not Eat It</em>, which is on the short shelf of my All-Time Favorite Kids' Books(TM)), but it's gently funny, just tasteless enough to hook the kiddies, and has a warm-and-fuzzy(-and-stinky) feeling when you're finished with it. Quite likable, and recommended. *** 1/2

I snatched this book up at the library when I came across it because we call our dog skunk dog!! If you live in the country, as we do, this can be a very common occurrence. What a great idea to write a childrens book about something that so many people can relate to but never expect to see as the subject of a picture book! That's what makes it so funny! Now we know our little Mia just wants to make friends with the skunks and it is obvious to us that she doesn't care how many times they spray her!! This book is a must have for our personal library, being that it is written about our dog.